Results 11,481-11,500 of 19,576 for speaker:Norma Foley

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scoileanna Lán-Ghaeilge (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 888 and 889 together. As part of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, my Department has committed to creating opportunities for expanding Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the context of the announcements since April 2018 on the establishment of 47 new schools from 2019, which affords particular consideration to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.  The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department provides a book grant to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes. Under this scheme, my Department provided funding of €17.2 million in 2021 to all of these schools. Schools participating in my Department’s DEIS Programme receive an enhanced rate of book...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The Department is aware that the school referred to by the Deputy has experienced a number of challenges that have impacted on the smooth operation of the school. In accordance with Section 14 of the Education Act a single manager has recently been appointed to the school.    The Department has engaged with the Patron and Single Manager to work towards making progress in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: As the Deputy will be aware, the Chief State Solicitors Office, on behalf of my Department, has been engaging with the property owners’ legal representative on the draft lease for some time and the vast majority of the clauses in the draft lease are agreed. My Department has also engaged directly with the property owners’ legal representative with a view to facilitating...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Data (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The information requested by the Deputy can be found at the following link, in tabular format. /ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/202 2-04-26_pq897-26-04-22_en.xlsx">Planning Areas

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. The Brief Change request has recently been approved by my Department with comments issued to the school and Design Team...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: In general, my Department does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any educational textbook. The current policy within my Department is not to endorse any particular product or publication, including textbooks. There are a small number of exceptions where my Department has procured textbooks or resources in order to fill a need – for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Usage (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: My Department is proactively engaged in reducing energy consumption as part of Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programme with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).  A reduction of 39% in energy consumption within my Department has been achieved to the end of 2020 since the 2009 baseline. My officials continue to take measures to reduce energy consumption under...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. The refined DEIS...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.   In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I propose to take Questions Nos. 905 and 907 together. I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application, for the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA), from the school in question. The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: The table below sets out payments recorded on my Department's Financial Management System as having been made to Mayo County Council in each of the years from 2017 to 2021. It should be noted that the payments made to the Council in that period were to meet costs incurred by my Department that arose in the normal course of business and included the cost of property rental,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021. The purpose of my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: Access to the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP) is available to DEIS Post Primary, DEIS Urban Band 1 primary and DEIS Urban Band 2 primary schools.  The categorisation of DEIS primary schools between urban and rural is undertaken using the CSO boundary data classification of ‘Settlements’. Urban settlements are towns...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: Under S.I. No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (including W3C WCAG 2.1 Standards,, all public sector bodies in Ireland including schools are required to make their websites and mobile applications (apps) accessible and have a clear Accessibility Statement on their website. The National Disabilities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (26 Apr 2022)

Norma Foley: School secretaries are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools.  On the 24th February, following a series of engagements at the WRC, a package to settle a claim on terms and conditions for grant-funded school secretaries was proposed, which Fórsa agreed to recommend to...